0
0
Edward Kang flew from New Jersey to Florida just so he could attack fellow gamer Zachary Dinh, with a hammer. Swatting is such an old-fashioned way to settle online disputes. Nobody is mentioning if Kang had a prior history of mental health issues which would have prevented him from owning a firearm under the new SCOTUS ruling. That doesn’t matter anyway, because he bought himself a top of the line assault mallet, without any background checks or pesky paperwork to fill out, mere hours before pounding his victim, nearly to death.
Armed with a hammer
More people are killed with a hammer every year than handguns. Liberals aren’t screaming for their regulation, though. Violent and mentally unstable criminals have no problem acquiring them.
Edward Kang didn’t try to get cute and smuggle a weapon past homeland security at the airport. He simply booked a flight and flew.
Authorities eventually took 20-year-old Kang into custody early on Sunday morning, Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper relates. He had arrived at the home of Zachary Dinh around 2 a.m. on June 23. That’s when he broke in and attacked Dinh with a hammer.
NEW: New Jersey man is charged with attempted murder after flying to Florida overnight to attack his online video game rival with a hammer
Edward Kang, 20, allegedly took an overnight flight from Newark to Jacksonville
“The victim’s stepfather reported being awakened by screams… pic.twitter.com/V1RSKw1Ogv
— Unlimited L's (@unlimited_ls) June 25, 2024
At the news conference Monday, Sheriff Leeper explained that “Mr. Kang had never met the gamer he attacked in person, but that they knew each other from playing ArcheAge, a fantasy online game.”
The digital world of ArcheAge lets players pursue “their own adventures of exploration and conquest in a mythical world.” Nobody is sure what happened between the two which would provoke a deadly hammer assault.
Mr. Dinh declined to comment. Authorities note that it’s “unclear what interactions Mr. Kang and Mr. Dinh had.” All they know is that the incident “originated from an online altercation.” Kang later told police his victim “is a bad person online.”
ArcheAge shuts down
Leeper doesn’t “know what transpired between the victim and the suspect, but something made the suspect want to come down to Florida and injure the other individual.” The platform already “shut down on Friday for users in Europe and North America.”
Along with the unfortunate hammer assault, “the makers of the game cited a declining number of players.” As related by the sheriff, “Mr. Dinh was treated at a hospital for severe head wounds and has since been released from the hospital.”
Police didn’t have a hard time rounding up their suspect because they arrived in the middle of the fight. Kang was also injured in the attack.
Edward Kang is charged after flying to the Jacksonville, Florida airport to track down an online gaming opponent and attack them with a hammer. pic.twitter.com/flgKtQxC8v
— The Mourning Feed (@TheMourningFeed) June 25, 2024
He got medical attention at the ER and after he was stitched up, authorities transported him to Nassau County Jail in Yulee, Florida. He’s being held without bond. Kang had no trouble getting the hammer and he picked a good one for the job.
The police report notes that Kang “flew from Newark Liberty International Airport to Jacksonville International Airport, and checked into a hotel in Fernandina Beach,” on Friday. He told his family he was “going to visit an old friend in Florida.” Over the weekend, Kang “went to a hardware store in the area and bought a hammer and a flashlight.” The receipts were in his hotel room and are now tagged as evidence. He showed up in a ninja costume.
“Mr. Kang was dressed in all black, wearing gloves and a mask, when he arrived at Mr. Dinh’s home in Fernandina Beach early on Sunday morning.” A door was left unlocked. “Once inside, Mr. Kang found Mr. Dinh and began attacking him with the hammer.” The screams woke Dinh’s stepfather who discovered the pair struggling on the ground. The two managed to “subdue Mr. Kang and restrain him until the police arrived.” His phone call went to his mom. In the recorded call, “Kang admitted to the attack and told his mother that he did not plan to kill Mr. Dinh.“
